


Heartfelt

by Honeybunzie



Category: Heartless - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sad with a Happy Ending, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 02:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14558769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeybunzie/pseuds/Honeybunzie
Summary: Okay so the ending of Heartless kinda left me in pieces and I decided to write my own ending.  Or and ending after the ending. ;)This takes place after many years of the Queen's rule, when all of Wonderland is in grave danger.  Following a run in with Alice, the Queen finds her court conspiring against her and is sentenced for her crimes.They said there was nothing they could do, no spell or elixir to bring him back.  But Time seems to think otherwise...





	Heartfelt

     The click of the Queen’s heels echoing throughout the cavernous room was all that could be heard in the stagnant silence.  Her head was bowed, not out of disrespect, nor out of shame, or guilt. Plainly because she didn’t feel like wasting the energy to raise it.  She simply didn’t care.

  
     The shackles bit into her wrists like dogs, but the pain was a numb and distant feeling.  The Queen pondered whether she could even consider this a feeling, given she had not truly felt anything in a long, long time.  Even the anger and vengeance that had once viciously bubbled inside her and seared her bones had dissipated into a slow simmer throughout the years.  She was as cold and heartless as... well, the Queen of Hearts.

     She was snapped out of her trance by a deep clearing of one’s throat and unwillingly lifted her head.  She felt it lift more smooth and lithely than she was used too, most likely due to the absence of a heavy jewel-bearing crown.  
     The Queen raked her indifferent gaze over the man that stood on the balcony above her.  She could imagine exactly what he was seeing, given she had stood in that precise spot countless of times, looking over hundreds of trials with nothing but hate and disgust.  This room had become her prison, to which she had confined herself. She knew these walls like the back of her hand, though this angle was quite than different than she imagined.  The view of the condemned. It was less threatening than she thought it would be.

  
     The man had on a deep midnight cloak with a matching suit and head apparel.  He had broad shoulders, dark black hair and a beard, and a wicked glint to his pale blue eyes.  Though the Queen had never seen him before, she knew who he was. This was Time.  
     She heard a nervous sigh coming from her left, presumably from the encompassing mass of jury members.  If they could even be considered jury members. It seemed that everyone and their mother had come from the far reaches of the Kingdom of Hearts to view this spectacle, the trail of none other than their own Queen.  How she hated them. How she hated Time. She fought the urge to give a command to her henchmen, a guttural _“Off with their heads!”_  However, she restrained herself.  Her own henchmen were the ones who had dragged her to the center of the tiled floor and pushed her to her knees.  They would obey her no more. All thanks to that insufferable, ugly little, wrench of a-  
     

     “As you all may know, these are terrible times for the Kingdom of Hearts.”  Time began his insufferable speech, drinking in the attention of all subjects in the room. He was pacing across the balcony with his hands clasped behind his back as if he owned the place.  Which, he now technically did. With the King’s untimely death years ago, and the Queens recent incarceration, Hearts had been left without a ruler. Because the nobility of Hearts was composed of spineless creatures, no one dared step up to the throne after the Queen’s brutal rule.  So, just in the nick of himself, before the entire structure of Hearts collapsed, Time stepped forward to take care of proceedings until a new ruler could be decided upon. Until the Queen was dealt with.  
     “And not just Hearts, I should say.  Since the dawn of me, never have I seen such turmoil.  Such corruption. The innocent sentenced guilty. The war with no peace.  The martyrs slain without mercy.”

     Suddenly, the Queen’s hollow chest felt even more hollow at his last few words, though she gave little thought to it.  
     “The White and Red Queens are currently engaged in a grand war with seemingly no hope of conclusion.  Peace is but a long forgotten memory, and chaos reigns. And then there is _you_ .”  He spat the word as if it were poisonous elixir in his mouth.  The Queen assumed this was the point in his speech where she was supposed to feel sacred, intimidated.  Instead she just raised a brow at him with little to no emotion across her features.  
     “And then there is me.”  She replied simply. Time spun on his heels, cutting his pace short, and slammed his hands down onto the banister.  She assumed his over-dramatic actions were aimed more for the subjects entertainment than for her.  
     “You will not speak.  You will not utter another word.”  Time hissed. At her silence a coy smile appeared on his face, and she felt an underlying sense of loathing creeping through her.  
     “I think you have said quite enough throughout your rule.  But it is over now. No more will the people of Hearts be subjected to your atrocities.  I have seen terrible things in my life. Terrible, terrible things that would kill another man to witness.  But _you_ .  You have challenged everything I’ve ever known with the amount vileness you secrete upon this earth.  You are guilty of murder, of treason, of treachery and deceit.”  
     “Oh stop it.  If you continue any longer, I dare say you’re going to make me blush.”  The Queen sneered. The man gave her a cold look but continued on as if she hadn’t spoke.  
     “You are more a monster than the late Jabberwock.  Had it not been for the acts of Alice, our world would still be in anguish.”

     At this, the courtroom began to buzz.  The Queen rolled her eyes. Alice, Alice, Alice.  The savior, the hero- the rotten good for nothing murderer.  The Jabberwock had returned, much to everyone’s surprise, to once again wreck havoc on Wonderland.  But this time, the beast had become a companion to none other than the Queen of Hearts. Yes, with that monster under her control she had been all powerful.  The once despised creature had become her loyal and most lethal weapon. Until that blonde brat had come along and ruined everything the Queen had worked for.  There was nothing more the Queen had wanted than to see her head roll.  
     “Ah yes the lovely Alice.  The one who brought that imperial witch of a Queen to her knees and peace to all the land.  Oh wait-“ the Queen mocked, “except she failed on that end. Wonderland is not any better off than it was before, and all this stuff and nonsense has been for naught.  The war remains and a new leader has yet to emerge. Yes, quite the hero.”

     Time had fully given up on keeping the Queen quiet at this point, letting her ramble on about the state of the kingdom.  She vaguely wondered what he was getting at, but didn’t care enough to think about it any longer. She looked up at him with as much hate and disgust as she could muster.  Never mind her torn dress, her wrists in shackles, her makeup smeared and hair a mess. If these were to be her last moments, she would make them as miserable as possible for everyone involved.  
     “Yes.  That is the very issue that remains.”  Time said thoughtfully, seemingly unperturbed by her glare.  “Yet one less roach in Wonderland is one step closer to the land it once was.  The land it can be again.”  
     “There is _nothing_ you can do to make Wonderland right again.  A darkness has descended, one in which no amount of heros and silly girls in blue frilly dresses can absolve.  Killing me will change nothing.” The Queen spoke loudly the truth they were all too scared to admit. She even caught a few jury members flinch as her words cut through the air like knives.   _Good_.  
The Queen expected Time to dismiss her.  To say her claims were doubtlessly wrong, and speak the words that would solve nothing but mollify the people of Hearts for a bit longer.  But he didn’t.  
     “You’re right.”  He replied. A moment of shock rang throughout the royal room.  The jury members whispered and shook, the White rabbit near Time’s shoulder seemed to crumple, and an indignant humpf could be heard from somewhere across the room.  The Queen’s eyes scanned the decor until she found the source of the noise, a black raven looking down on the proceedings below from the sill of a high window. A small smirk spread across the Queen’s mouth.  She looked back at Time.

     “So you admit it?  I have to say I do applaud your honesty, Time.  However, honesty will get you nowhere in Hearts.  I have been nothing but honest to my people, and they detest it.  Yes, you will get much farther if you cover the truth with a pretty pink bow, a nice distraction from the abhorring situation at hand.  Your words are refreshing, but are no good here.” She lamented. The look he gave her was deplorable. She was satisfied.

     “You are from Rock Turtle Cove, no?  The land famous for its wondrously spun stories.  Tell me then, dear Queen, if you’ve heard of this one.”  Time began, and the Queen’s smile faltered.

     “Once upon a time there lived a young girl.  She was the daughter of a Marquess and Marchioness, and her life was one in which anyone in Hearts would have killed for.  She was beautiful, she was noble, and even had a knack for baking the most delicious sweets in all the Kingdom. Most of all, she had the affections of none other than the King himself.  She had everything.”

     The Queen was fuming, her anger so strong that her jaw was clenched shut and she was unable to speak.  How dare he. Time continued.

     “Everything, well, except for one small item.  Happiness. You see, none of this was enough for the girl.  Because while she was the image of beauty and joy, she longed for a life far out of her reach, the life of a simple baker.  But her dreams could never be, for she was destined to be much more than a lowly business woman. She was a vital cog in the clockwork of fate, the fate of Wonderland.”  

     By now everyone in the room was completely enraptured by Time’s tale, and even the sun peeking through the arching windows behind him seemed to be casting a spotlight onto his body.

     “She was the key to reversing the curse placed upon the land.  The curse of never ending war and misery. Her heart alone had the power to stop the great war that held the White and Red Queens in the clutches of death.  The White Queen heard this mystic tale, this prophetic rumor of a girl with great power. So she sent three men to claim her. To claim her heart. One was an executioner.  The other a wise traveler of the land between kingdoms. The other, an enchanting and charming joker.”

_“Stop.”_  The Queen growled through her teeth.  “You may not speak of him.” She felt her face go red with anger, as though she were a volcano set to explode at any minute.  Time once again ignored her.

     “If they failed, and the Queen’s heart was never brought to Chess, to the land of the White Queen, then Wonderland would be condemned to a terrible fate.  One of civil fighting, where no one but Death himself could win. There would be no hope.” He paused. “I presume you know how the story ends, your Majesty.”

     The Queen barked out her reply, her voice so loud and so piercing that some of the jury members covered their ears in distress.

_“They failed.”_  The room fell silent.  No one dared utter a word, and those within closest proximity to the Queen trembled.  Time looked at her with a renewed expression, one she couldn’t quite place. It almost looked like… pity.

     “Yes.  They failed.  And the whole world had to pay for it.”  He scanned the crowd, looking upon face after face of despair.  “You say that Hearts does not currently have a leader. But it most certainly does.  Since that travesty, Heart has been lead by misery and bleakness, and all of Wonderland by hopelessness.”  

     More gasps from the audience.  When Time had appeared and offered (though it was more like demanded) to step in as King of Hearts, people rejoiced across the land.  They had believed that Alice had freed them all from the Queen’s imperial rule, and that Time had come to bring back the golden age of Hearts.  But now it was clear that that was not the case. Because here before them stood quite possibly the most powerful man in all of Wonderland, Time himself, and even _his_ will had crumbled.  The mood of inevitable doom resided inside the room.

     “Just get on with it then.”  The Queen said, sick of their banter that lead them nowhere.  Sick of remembering her old life. Of remembering _him_.  The one spot of sunshine in her entire existence that had been extinguished.  The only saving grace was that now, she might join him.

     “Get on with what?”  Time asked. The Queen sneered.

     “Aren’t you going to give me a taste of my own medicine?  You’re going to give the people of Hearts what they want. My head.  As if that will solve anything in their useless, meaningless lives. Go on with it.  Call in the executioner, and let blood spill upon the grounds of Hearts once again. Put us all out of our misery.  But know that _nothing_ will change.  The pendulum will continue and the world will be uninterrupted.  Let all of Hearts be agreed, that without me this Kingdom will rot, just as it should.  And if I shall die, let it be of my own command. Off with my head!” The Queen roared.

     The crowd burst into indignant cries of “ _Off with her head!”_ and _Kill her!_ The Queen didn’t care.  She had her one last act of defiance.  She was going to die, but now they were not conspiring against her.  She had ordered her own death. And going through with it, they would be under her control once more.

     “Silence!”  Time commanded, raising his arms.  The cries turned to muttering, which soon died out.  Everyone waited with baited breath. Surely Time would announce her fate.  Her sentence to die.

     “It must be known that while you are an evil woman, your Majesty, you are not one for ignorance.  You are correct again. Killing you, while satisfying, will alter nothing. Wonderland’s fate has been set into stone.  There is no changing the future.” She wished he would stop his blubbering and get on with it. Her knees were beginning to ache.

     “However, if something was never set into stone, it cannot come true.  Yes it is correct that we cannot alter the future, but there is another option.  In dire circumstances, and I do believe we have found ourselves waist-deep in those, an exception can be made.  We can alter the past.”

      The Queen was rooted to the floor with shock and confusion, the words running through her head like molasses as she tried to make sense of them.  She faintly heard the rumblings of voices all around her, but her ears blocked them out. What was he getting at?

     “I have a proposition.  Now, I have sworn never to change the past.  What’s done has been done, and trying to fix our mistakes is a slippery slope.  But this is a different matter altogether. Wonderland is in terrible danger. This plan is perilous, and to call it risky would be quite an understatement.  But it is the only thing left.” Sweat had appeared to collect on Time’s brow. It was clear that his mind had been warring over this subject for a long time, and his words were well rehearsed and carefully formulated.  The Queen’s shoulders tensed as she prepared for his next sentences.

     “You were the key to saving Wonderland, Catherine, and I believe you still can be.”  

     She was surprised at the mention of her old name, something she had not been addressed by in a very, very long time.

     “There is a way to reverse myself.  It is an old and dark magic, and has been kept secret from even me.  Until recently.” The Queen could not believe her ears. Was he suggesting…

     “You’re going to send me back in time?”  She asked, her usually boisterous voice feeble.  The look in his icy gaze was intense.

     “It is the only way.”  Suddenly, Time reached within the depths of his cloak pocket and produced a strange spherical object.  It seemed to be comprised of blue electricity, and it crackled and buzzed as so. It was blinding, and Catherine wondered how he had kept such a thing hidden in his clothes this whole time without anyone being the wiser.

     Then he began to descend the balcony steps.

     “You must know that I truly hate what you have become, Catherine.  And if there was anyone else capable of completing this mission, I would hand it to them over you in a heartbeat.  But you were not always this way, and there isn’t. I cannot change the course of time, but I can guide _you_ to do it.  This is the Chronosphere.”  He said, lifting the orb higher as he reached the bottom of the stairs and began to make his way toward her.  The Queen looked on in disbelief. She was sure today would be her last day alive. But everything was taking a strange turn.

     “It will take you back to a time when fate was still not decided.  When hope prevailed. I’m granting you a mission, a mission to change the course of events.  To alter history. Know that this is the first, and hopefully last time I will ever grant this gift.”  He was now standing only a few feet in front of her, the Chronosphere glowing something fierce.

     “It may not work.  History may end up repeating itself.  But it’s all we have left.” He repeated and took one step closer to her, holding out the orb.  “Do you accept, Catherine?”

     The moment felt frozen, the Queen’s nerves tingling.  Was this what she wanted? What if she failed, and had to relive her miserable life all over again?  At that moment, she heard a flutter of wings, and sharp talons dug into her shoulder. Raven.

     “I do,” She uttered in a clear voice, and reached for the Chronosphere.  The second she touched it, a great shock raced through her body and burned inside her veins.  The world around her began to dissolve to darkness and she was falling, falling deeper and deeper.  Catherine screamed and flailed about as wind raced past her and she scrambled for purchase in the free fall.  She felt as though her body was being pulled in a million different directions. Images flashed past her, blurred and almost impossible to make out.  She saw herself, her face a mask of bitterness and resentment looking over a slain beast and a young girl. She saw herself adorned in black and standing at the Royal gravesite, looking on as the King’s casket was placed in dirt.  She saw her children running about the grounds with looks of glee as she stood by, indifferent. She saw herself being stabbed in the chest, her heart plucked from her body like an apple off a tree. She saw her wedding day, the King trembling with nerves as she paced down the aisle, looking like a cat about to pounce on its prey.  She saw her parents, Mary Ann, Hatta, and a pumpkin patch in the dead of night. She saw-

     Suddenly the images stopped and Catherine crashed down onto solid ground.  Her eyes were closed tightly and her breathes came in short gasps. Her hands immediately reached for her chest which felt horribly tight and much too full.  Her legs gave out, and she braced herself to hit the cold tile floor. But before she could, something caught her. Someone.

     “Cath?  Are you okay?  Cath? Catherine please, what’s wrong?”  A voice buzzed in her ear, stricken with concern.  A voice she thought she’d never hear again.

     “What’s happened to her now?”  Another voice called from across the room.  This man sounded much less concerned, and spoke of her well being as though it were merely an annoyance.

     “I think exhaustion has gotten the better of her.  I knew it was unsafe to walk all that way through the maze without relief.  She’s just collapsed out of nowhere.” The voice near her ear pleaded, and she felt herself being lowered to the floor.  Slowly Catherine began to gain her energy back, though each of her movements were inexplicably tiring and difficult. Like trying to move though jelly.  Insufferably slowly, she opened her eyes.

     She was in an expansive room, and for a second, agony gripped her.  The Chronosphere had not worked at all, and she had woken up on the courtroom floor.  But then she had a sudden realization, that it was impossible for her to feel agonized at all.  She had no heart, no emotions but hate and vengeance. Yet there it was, present as ever.

     “Are you sure she can make it all the way across Chess in this state?  She seems to be a very sickly thing-”

     “Yes Hatta, she’s perfectly capable.  Look, she’s coming around now.” The voice said, his words threaded with relief.  The arms encompassing Catherine squeezed her and she peered up at the man holding her.  His dark curly hair, his striking eyes.

     “Jest?”  She asked, feeble and uncertain.  This was all a dream, a cruel dream.  She would wake up tomorrow surrounded by white roses and a hollow feeling in her chest.  It was _impossible_.

     “Yes, love?  Do you think you can sit up?  Are you feeling alright?” He slowly lifted her to a sitting position.  She must have looked mad, staring at him in awe and outright bewilderment.

     “Careful now, if you ask her an abundance questions it might be too much for her pretty little head to handle.  She’ll feint again.”

     “Oh, off with it Hatta,” Catherine found herself uttering before she could help it.  The boy holding her chuckled, and it was the most beautiful sound Cath had ever heard.  That’s when she knew. It began to sink in. This was real. She had gone back in time, and found herself in the Crossroads, surrounded by doors, and, yes, to her left was a beautiful crystal table.  But even more enrapturing was the boy in front of her.

     “Jest,”  She said with more certainty, more hope.  She sat up straighter and held onto his shoulders as if they were a lifeline, the only thing tethering her to this earth.  

     “Yes?” he said, a bit more uncertain.  “Are you feeling alright Cath? Do you need-”  But Jest was unable to get the sentence out of his mouth before the wind was knocked out of him as Cath tackled him into a crushing embrace.  Great sobs wracked her body, and she reveled in the wonderous feeling of crying.

     “Jest.  Jest. _Jest.”_  She uttered his name over and over, willing her reality to sink in.  Jest was here! In her arms! He was alive.

     She held onto him so tight her muscles hurt from strain, but she didn’t care.  She would never let him go, ever again. He was safe.

     He was also terribly confused.

     “Cath?  Cath what’s wrong?  I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”  His words were reassuring, and he hugged her back tightly.  Catherine seemed unable to say anything but his name, which was alright by her.  It was the most beautiful word in all of Wonderland. She would continue to say it until the end of time.

     “Time,” she suddenly gasped.

     “Time?” Hatta grunted.  “What about him?”

     “He’s wonderful, he’s a genius!”  Catherine cried, overflowing with joy.  She had forgotten what joy felt like. Hot tears streamed down her face at a preposterous rate.

     “What a wonderful clarification,”  Hatta said. Jest looked at her questioningly.  She knew she owed them an explanation, but as soon as the words formed in her mind, Jest’s warm golden eyes disarmed her.  

     “I love you,”  She confessed breathlessly.  One of the biggest regrets of her life was never telling him exactly how she felt, exactly how much she loved him.  He gave her a smile and Catherine thought she would melt into a puddle, right then and there.

     “I love you too,” he chuckled, a little uncertainty.  The sound was a melody that filled her ears and made her want to sing.

     Before he could ask her another question, she silenced him with a kiss.  Jest froze against her, stunned. But soon his arms found her waist, pulling her closer and giving into the kiss.  Catherine felt her heart beating out of her chest, a foreign feeling but one she decided she liked very much. It felt so good to be whole again.

     Suddenly a forced coughing fit from Hatta brought them to their senses and Catherine unwillingly pulled back.  

     "As heartwarming as the grace of young love is, there are more pressing matters at hand.”  Hatta said, breaking their trance.

     Catherine could barely formulate her thoughts into sentences, though she tried her best.  It didn’t matter if she didn’t make any sense, if they didn’t believe her. Because Jest was safe, he was here.  All was right with the world.

     “I came here from the future,” She started by explanation, soon realizing this was not the best way to begin her tale given the two quizzical looks that followed.

     “I’ve already lived through this, these exact moments.  Well not these exact ones, but I was- we were here. At the Crossroads.”  She stumbled over her words, but soon they began to pour out of her, like a dam breaking open after holding back much more that it could handle for too long.  “The Sisters were right, their prophecy came true. Every bit of it. I was forced to take the throne and become the Queen of Hearts. Raven fulfilled his role of executioner.  Hatta slowly went mad. And Jest-” She choked on her words as a new round of tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Jest looked on in anguish, though not seemingly from the truth of his horrid fate but at the distressed state Catherine was in.  She pushed on.

     “I was devastated, a shell of the person I used to be.  I went through with plans to marry the King for only one benefactor.  Vengeance over what had been lost. The Sisters promised to give it to me, as long as they received something in return.”

     “Your heart,” Hatta said solemnly, clever as ever.  Catherine nodded in confirmation.

     “Cath, surely you didn’t…” Jest inquired, but her look gave him the answer.

     “It was of no use to me once you were gone,” she admitted.  She continued before he could stop her.

     “It was killing me from the inside out.  I spent my days in grief and despair. What the Sisters did was merciful.”  She sniffled. “Without my heart I no longer felt love, happiness, or even sadness.  I only knew hate. Oh Jest, I did so many terrible things. My only friend was Raven, and we barely spoke.  I was evil…” she trailed off, and a new horrible thought came to mind. “I would understand if you didn’t want to- to be with me anymore after hearing what I’d done.  I did terrible things-”

     “You no longer had a heart.  No longer the ability to feel sympathy or love, and you had a direct route to absolute power.  Of course bad things happened, they would to anyone,” Jest reasoned with her. Catherine wondered how he could so easily see past her many flaws, and she wondered how a great man like Jest existed, and who loved her no less.

     “But how then, did you get back here?” Hatta asked, not skeptical but quizzical.  Cath was thankful they believed her story instead of writing her off as hysterical.

     “A girl came.  Her name was Alice, and I believe she was working with you, Hatta, to tear down my Kingdom and strip me of the crown.  And you were right in doing so. She succeeded, Hearts saw her as a martyr, and I was sentenced to die.” Jest flinched at her words.

     “But you were saved… by Time?” He asked.

     “Yes.  Time stepped forward to look after Hearts when they found themselves without a leader.  But instead of executing me, he offered a new plan. A way out. He saved me.” She squeezed Jest’s hands tighter in her grasp.  “Well, he didn’t really do it for me. In fact Time absolutely despises me. He did it to save Wonderland. We need to make it through the Looking Glass, to travel across Chess and end the war.  If we don’t, the fighting will never end, and Wonderland will be condemned.”

     “Sounds easy enough,” Jest added.

     “He sent me back in time through the use of the Chronosphere.”  Cath said. Jest cocked his head slightly, but Hatta’s eyes widened in realization.

     “The Chronosphere,” he scratched his face, “Dear spades this is worse than I imagined,”  He confessed. “We have to time to lose, for the sake of Time. Can you stand, Catherine?”

     “Yes,” she replied confidently, though she stumbled slightly in doing so and Jest kept his grip strong around her.

     “Are you sure?”  He asked.

     “I’m fine.  I’ll be mostly right, it’s just-”  She looked at him in fear. “Oh Jest I can’t do it again.  I can’t lose you twice. It will certainly kill me, as it almost did before…”  She began to sob again, and his hand reached up to brush the tears from her face.

     “Don’t cry, Cath.  We won’t make the same mistakes twice.”  She took hold of his hand and pressed it to her cheek.

     “Promise me.  Promise me that if something happens- if my life is at stake- that you won’t risk yourself to save me.  Because I won’t be saved, in fact I’ll be anything but.”

     He prepared to defy her, but the look she gave him was steady and unwavering.

     “I’ll promise.  If you’ll promise the same to me.”  He finally replied.

     “Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”

     “Haven’t you heard?  Wonderland is full of contradictions.  For example, it’s common for one to see a cat without a smile, but just the other day I believe I saw a smile without a cat.”

     Catherine thought back to her friend Cheshire and snorted a laugh.  The sound startled herself, and Cath realized she hadn’t heard it in many years.

     Jest’s eyes lit up and she sighed overdramatically, though her theatrics were slightly ruined by the smile of her own.

     “I promise,”  She replied. He kissed her once more and Cath closed her eyes, willing herself to remember the feeling of his lips on hers.  

     “After you,” he said and gestured to the glass bottle filled with shrinking elixir upon the table.  Catherine slowly walked over to the vile and mirror, keeping her one hand entwined with Jest’s for she refused to let go of him in fear that he would disappear.  

     "Don't drink it all now," Hatta reminded them. "Raven and I will be following shortly after.  Our fates were litter better than yours, if you recall."  Cath lifted the bottle to her lips, but her eyes caught on the wrought-iron gates across the room and she froze.

     Mary Ann.  She would be stuck with Peter Peter, her fate unknown.  Cath thought it over, but no matter what, she realized, there was nothing she could do.  If she entered the gates, Jest would undoubtedly follow to ensure her safety. And the Sisters’ prophecy would come true.  Not only would she lose Jest again, but Wonderland would be doomed.

     She had to put trust in Mary Ann.  To hold on a sliver of faith that she could save herself.  It wasn’t entirely impossible, Mary Ann was a logical woman.  Cath still felt guilt as she tremblingly raised the bottle to her lips, though it dissipated when she felt Jest give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

     She swallowed a mouthful of the bitter liquid.  It tasted similar to cough medicine, but she drank without complaint.  Suddenly, her legs felt wobbly as her bones turned to jelly. The room seemed to grow larger and larger as Cath’s height slowly diminished, and she found herself next to Jest’s giant boot, only a few inches tall.  Jest placed the looking glass on the ground next to her a soon followed suit, drinking the potion and becoming a similar small size. He smiled and took Cath’s hand, the smooth leather sliding perfectly into her grasp.  But before he could step towards the mirror, she pulled him back.

     “Jest, I-I don’t get it.  You claim I’m the brave Queen of Hearts needed to end this war.  But I don’t feel brave, actually, quite the opposite.” She hesitated.  “I’m scared.” He gazed at her with compassion.

     “To be brave is not to be fearless.  In fact, fear is a key quality in a hero, but so is confidence.  We must stay vigilant, and know with certainty we will save Wonderland.  Or at least pretend like we do.” There was a mischievous glint in his eye, one that Cath’s heart hurt from seeing.  She had missed him so. “Besides, with Time on our side, we stand a good chance.” He smiled. “So let us not wait any longer, he is of the essence.”

     Cath looked at Jest and imagined their future.  They would cross Chess. End the war. She could open her bakey, and best of all, she could finally be with him.

     “You’re impossible,” she confessed, and together, they stepped through the glass.

                                                                                                                     

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked this! Please know that I did not research anything about the original story of Alice in Wonderland, and there may be some inconsistencies with that storyline and mine. I would have loved to do so but I'm currently swamped with finals and AP testing (which I should be studying for but I'm writing this whooops). Jest was an absolute cinnamon roll and I just had to bring him back and I'm not crying you're crying okay? I might continue this over the summer once I have more free time but uhhh we'll see about that~~


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